Montrose Biology

Fun, inspired by nature. My name is Matt Montrose and I grew up around creeks with my pockets full of newts and beetles. My grandparents raised birds and my sister sold hamsters to the local pet store. I think the core of my personality was formed in gardens, tidepools, meadows, and mud puddles. As an adult, I wanted to share my love of the natural world and inspire the next generation to investigate all the life that surrounds us. I became a biology teacher and engage my students in the classroom with homemade games based on the science we are learning. While my games are designed with students in mind, they are also heavily influenced by the variety of strategy board games I grew up playing. They are rooted in real science, but strategic enough to find a home in any game night rotation. My design process includes sourcing, colorizing, manipulating, and altering vintage art in the public domain until I've created a sort of digital collage that is printed on cards. Text and borders may come from a 1700s map, while organism art might be a combination of two lithograph prints from the 1800s. The result is a beautiful game that is equal parts strategic and instructive.